Qalant
Qalant Qalant - Calant Mammuthus Indissiae Animal, Mammal, Proboscidea Diet Herbivorous Behaviour * Peaceful * Nomadic * Communal * Competitive * Tameable Physical Characteristics * Average Height: 4.9 metres * Largest Recorded Height: 6 metres * Average Length: 7 metres * Largest Recorded Length: 8.7 metres * Average Width: 3.5 metres * Largest Recorded Width: 4.3 metres * Average Life Expectancy: 60 years * Longest Recorded Lifespan: 80 years Description The Qalant (or Calant) is the largest land animal on the planet, the most iconic result of Western Gigantism, and the only surviving member of the genus Mammuthus. It mainly dwells in the Qaateeni savanna, although it often also finds homes in the many oases in the Western Desert (modern Indissia), and prior to the rapid expansion of the industrial revolution there were also small but sustained populations along the northern Indis River in Akkanuria. Their skin is light brown, similar to the colour of the sand and dirt they live amongst. Compared to the size of their body, they have slightly larger eyes and far larger tusks than modern elephants. They have a nictitating membrane or "third eyelid", like camels, to keep out dust and sand, as well as long eyelashes that serve the same purpose. Qalants roam the wild in herds. They are generally peaceful unless they perceive their young to be threatened. They do not see people as predators, but easily can - and will - kill a person in seconds if they get close to either young Qalants or pregnant female Qalants, which are typically on the inside of the herd, protected by a ring of males. However, people that are known to be friendly and trustworthy are often allowed inside herds, and although it is likely a myth that Qalants never forget a face, they can certainly remember people for a long time. Qalants have several methods of attack. Their huge tusks are devastating enough with a simple swing, able to shatter a person's bones with a single strike, but if a Qalant charges they are capable of impaling their target on their tusks, or crushing them to death by stampeding over them. Qalants also have a strong kick, and they can not only deliver strong punches with their prehensile tusks but also grab large sticks or even small tree trunks with them, which they can then use to bash their targets with. The more intelligent Qalants have even been taught how to use spears. These methods combined made them very effective and popular weapons of war amongst the Indissians. Their usage declined with the proliferation of gunpowder weapons, but they continued to be used long after they were made obsolete. The last battle featuring Qalants was fought in 1834 in the Nesarian Civil War, in which the force of Qalant-riders was obliterated by artillery. As Food Qalant meat is similar to elephant meat, which is tough, coarse, dry and with little taste. According to the locals, the meat is "only eaten by starving men". Its poor taste and the Qalant's sacred status in Indissia mean that it is almost never eaten. Conservation Qalants were once extensively used as war animals, however they became obsolete and fell out of use in the mid-1600s. Since Nakkalism (the Indissian religion) only permits killing Qalants when they are used against you in battle, and prohibits their consumption, this means that Qalant populations typically thrive since they no longer have natural predators. Poachers of Qalants normally hunt the animals for their massive tusks and not for their subpar meat. The Indissian government keeps track of all Qalants and individually approves and tracks exports of the animals, to ensure that they go only to zoos and not slaughterhouses. Under Indissian law, killing them is illegal.